The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has just developed and launched the project, “End in Africa – Ghana and 2012 MDA’s for NTDs,” as a measure to address the debilitating effects of NTDS in Ghana.

The key objective of the project is for mass drug administration (MDA) to treat NTDs and the undertaking of clinical management across Ghana.The initiative will also provide public health education to all targeted endemic NTD communities. The primary NTD targets are: trachoma, lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis), onchocerciasis (river blindness), schistosomiasis (snail fever) and soil transmitted helminthiasis (roundworm, hookworm, and whipworm).

At the launch of the project, Ghana’s Minister of Health, Mr. Alban Suman Bagbin, emphasized the country’s disease profile, noting that Ghana is burdened, “with long list of NTDs…[that] come under one common denominator – they are known as ‘the poor man’s diseases; occurring almost exclusively among the poor, rural and deprived communities around the country”.

Ghana’s Health Ministry and GNS will continue to improve collaboration with a variety of partners such as other ministries and development departments and agencies. Some of these partners include USAID, Catholic Relief Services, FHI 360, African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC), Mectizan Donation Programme, Liverpool Centre for NTDs, Sightsavers, World Health Organization and Africa Lymphatic Filariasis Support Centre .

Click here to learn more about the “End in Africa – Ghana and 2012 MDA’s for NTDs,” project.